Marathi Language

Those bullying non-Marathi speakers will face action: Ramdas Athawale

Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale on Tuesday said that "bullying" non-Marathi speakers in Maharashtra is wrong and the Devendra Fadnavis government will not tolerate such incidents. "Those who indulge in such bullying will be taught a lesson," Athawale said, asserting that the stance of leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray on the issue is against Balasaheb Thackeray's vision. "I said that this is wrong. Knowing Marathi is fine. Telling them to learn Marathi is okay, but bullying them, slapping them, that is not right. Action has been taken by the police against those involved in such illegal actions, and "our government will not allow such bullying", the leader from Maharashtra said at a press conference here. He said that wrong politics is being done in the name of Marathi, noting that Mumbai is the financial capital of India and home to people from Rajasthan, Gujarat and many south India states. "It is not about opposing Hindi. The

Hindi language row: BJP MP Dubey's remarks inappropriate, says Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's comments on the language issue in the state were inappropriate and risked causing confusion. Dubey's reported "patak patak ke marenge" remarks have caused a flutter. The Lok Sabha member from Jharkhand had put out a controversial post amid the ongoing language row in Maharashtra and attacks on non-Marathi speaking people. "To those beating Hindi speakers in Mumbai, if you have the courage, try beating Urdu speakers in Maharashtra. Even a dog is a tiger in its own home. Decide for yourself who is the dog and who is the tiger," the MP from Godda posted on X. Asked about the controversy, CM Fadnavis said, "If you listen to the complete statement of Nishikant Dubey, he particularly spoke about an organisation and not against Marathi people in general. However, in my opinion, it is inappropriate to make such comments. Its interpretation causes confusion among the minds of people." The biggest contribu

'Did Pahalgam terrorists join BJP?' Thackeray questions lack of arrests

On the language controversy, Uddhav Thackeray said: "We are not against any language. We are against its forced imposition."

Investor apologises after MNS attack over remarks targeting Raj Thackeray

Five Maharashtra Navnirman Sena supporters were detained on Saturday for the attack on investor Sushil Kedia's office in Worli here over the latter's social media post about not learning Marathi and his "kya karna hai bol" dare to Raj Thackeray. Hours after the attack, Kedia apologised for the social post claiming he had overreacted and also professed admiration for Thackeray. Kedia said he had uploaded the post in a wrong state of mind under duress and stress and wished to correct it unequivocally after realising his mistake. "Having come under pressure mentally from the violence inflicted on those who do not know Marathi, I ended up over-reacting," Kedia said. "I realise I must take back my over-reactions and withdraw," he asserted. In his apology video, Kedia said, "Even after living for 30 years in Mumbai, the level of proficiency and fluency that a native Marathi born can have, we will not be able to achieve and for avoiding any embarrassments or confusions, one has been ...

Marathi row: Slogans raised as investor Kedia's office vandalised in Mumbai

Unidentified persons raised slogans supporting MNS chief Raj Thackeray and vandalised the office of investor Sushil Kedia in Worli area of Mumbai on Saturday, police said. Kedia had challenged Raj Thackeray and asserted that he would not learn Marathi. He had approached the police after he was threatened over his post on X handle. Some individuals reached Kedia's office in the morning and threw stones, a police official said. The attackers were raising slogans in support of Marathi and praising Raj Thackeray, he said. "I don't know Marathi properly even after living for 30 years in Mumbai & with your gross misconduct I have made it a resolve that until such people as you are allowed to pretend to be taking care of Marathi Manus I take pratigya I won't learn Marathi. Kya karna hai bol?" Kedia had posted on X. Accordingly, police had provided adequate security to Kedia's office, situated at Century Bazar.

7 MNS workers detained for assaulting food vendor over not speaking Marathi

Seven members of the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) were detained for allegedly assaulting a foodstall owner for not speaking Marathi, an official said on Friday. The accused persons were allowed to go after the police served notices on them, he said. The incident took place on Tuesday in the Bhayander area of Thane district. A video of the assault, which went viral on social media, showed some of the attackers wearing scarves sporting the MNS symbol. While purchasing food, one of them asked the stall owner to speak in Marathi, to which he questioned them back. While the man shouted at the shopkeeper, some others with him slapped the stall owner, a police official had said earlier. The Kashimira police had subsequently registered a case against seven MNS members under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for rioting, threatening and assault. The accused persons were brought to the police station. They were allowed to go after the police handed them notices, said ...

Shiv Sena (UBT) to mark July 5 as 'Marathi Vijay Diwas', hold a rally: Raut

Days after the Maharashtra government withdrew orders on three-language policy in schools, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said they will hold a rally on July 5 to observe it as "Marathi Vijay Diwas". He also asked the BJP-led Mahayuti government to stop misleading people of the state, in reference to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis' claim that Uddhav Thackeray, as the then CM, had accepted recommendations of the Dr Raghunath Mashelkar committee to introduce a three-language policy from class 1 to 12 and set up a committee on the policy implementation. Raut urged the government to produce and publicly burn any government resolution (GR) allegedly issued under the previous Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. "Let them bring that GR, and burn it if it exists," Raut told reporters, slamming the BJP for "forcibly imposing" Hindi on Marathi-speaking students. "We have opposed the BJP government's resolution which was indirectly enforcing Hindi as the third ...

Language row a distraction from core issues, says Prithviraj Chavan

Senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan has alleged that a controversy over the 'imposition' of Hindi language in Maharashtra was being created to divert people's attention from core issues and underlined the need to improve the quality of education. Claiming a drastic cut in the budgetary allocation for education, the former Maharashtra chief minister said the focus should be on providing quality education to students and strengthening infrastructure in the educational sector. "The budgetary allocation on education should be increased. The controversies over English and the imposition of Hindi are irrelevant and being created to divert focus from the core issues," Chavan told reporters in Kolhapur on Friday. The former Union minister claimed 41 per cent of posts of teachers in IITs are lying vacant in Maharashtra. "Similarly, 70 per cent of vacancies in agriculture universities are not filled," he said. The language row erupted after the state government last week issued an amend

Raj Thackeray calls for July 5 Marathi unity march against Hindi imposition

The announcement was made through a statement on the social media platform X, where Thackeray asserted that the event will be a display of Marathi unity and cultural pride

Decision on 3-language formula only after talks with stakeholders: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said a final decision on the three-language formula will be taken only after consultations with all stakeholders, including litterateurs, language experts and political leaders. Fadnavis chaired a meeting at his official residence in south Mumbai late Monday night to deliberate on the issue. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, School Education Minister Dada Bhuse, Minister of State Dr Pankaj Bhoyar and senior officials from the education department were present. The state government last week issued an amended order, stating Hindi will generally be taught as the third language to students in Marathi and English medium schools from Classes 1 to 5. The government had maintained that Hindi would not be compulsory, but mandated consent of at least 20 students per grade in a school for studying any Indian language other than Hindi. During the meeting chaired by CM Fadnavis on Monday, detailed discussions were held on the implications of

Panel urges CM to revoke Hindi move, Fadnavis says primacy to Marathi

The Maharashtra government's language consultation committee has urged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to revoke the decision of making Hindi a mandatory third language for students of classes 1 to 5. Fadnavis on Sunday dismissed concerns over the "imposition" of the Hindi language in the state, asserting Marathi will continue to be compulsory. The state government has given its nod to implement the three-language formula under the National Education Policy. Accordingly, it has made Hindi a must for students of classes 1 to 5 in English and Marathi-medium schools. In a letter to the CM on Sunday, the language consultation committee's chief Laxmikant Deshmukh claimed the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) did not consider their thoughts and suggestions before making the Hindi push. While the government has appointed a language consultation committee to advise it on language matters, the SCERT has not taken the panel into consideration, the letter said. No .

Primacy to Marathi, no imposition of Hindi in Maharashtra: Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed concerns over the "imposition" of the Hindi language in the state on Sunday, asserting that Marathi will continue to be compulsory. The opposition parties, particularly Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS, have alleged that Hindi is being imposed in Maharashtra after the state government gave its nod to implement the three-language formula under the NEP. "It is wrong to say that attempts are being made to impose Hindi. Marathi will be compulsory in Maharashtra. There will be no other compulsion," Fadnavis told reporters after attending a programme organised at the Bhandarkar Research Institute in Pune. Responding to the row over the government's approval to make Hindi a compulsory third language in schools, Fadnavis said, "We need to understand that Hindi has not been made mandatory instead of Marathi. The Marathi language is a must". He said the New Education Policy states that two of the three languages to be taught to students must

Imposing Hindi under NEP at cost of Marathi won't be allowed, says Sule

NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule on Saturday said that undermining Marathi in the forceful implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 in Maharashtra would not be tolerated. Sule's statement comes amid the opposition's outcry over the Maharashtra government's decision to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students of Classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state, in a departure from the practice of studying two languages. Speaking to reporters in Pune, the Baramati MP said, "I was first to oppose the education minister's statement about making the CBSE board compulsory in Maharashtra. What is the need to replace the existing state board with CBSE? Before discussing the language issue, we must talk about the basic education infrastructure in the state." Citing the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) released by the NGO Pratham Foundation, referred to by the Centre, she stressed the need to evaluate students' performance in mathematics, .

Marathi compulsory in Maha, learning other languages a choice: CM Fadnavis

Fadnavis, expressing surprise at the opposition to Hindi and the growing preference for English, warned that any challenge to Marathi will not be tolerated

Ajit Pawar defends Hindi in school, says Marathi still top priority

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has criticised political parties for opposing the move to make Hindi a mandatory third language for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and English-medium schools across the state. He said those opposing the decision are raking up unnecessary disputes for lack of real issues. Marathi is our mother tongue and will always have first preference in the state, said Pawar on the sidelines of the inauguration of a national memorial dedicated to the Chapekar Brothers in Pimpri Chinchwad on Thursday. Hitting out at critics, Pawar said, Some people are creating disputes over the Hindi language only because they have nothing else to do. English is widely used across the country, and similarly, Hindi is spoken in many states. While there is a dispute over whether Hindi is the Rashtra Bhasha', I don't want to get into that. The Maharashtra government has decided that Hindi as a third language would be mandatory for students in classes 1 to 5 in Marathi and ...

Raj Thackeray asks MNS cadre to pause agitation demanding Marathi in banks

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena president Raj Thackeray on Saturday asked his party workers to stop the agitation to enforce use of Marathi in banks and other establishments for the time being as "we have created enough awareness on the issue". In a letter to party workers, Thackeray said the agitation has shown the consequences of not following Reserve Bank of India norms on use of local language. "There is no issue in halting this agitation now because we have created enough awareness on the issue, Thackeray said. Halt the agitation for the time being but do not let focus go away from it. I urge the government to see that the law is followed. Wherever the law is not followed, wherever Marathi manoos are taken for granted or face insult, the MNS will go for discussion with them," Thackeray warned. His instructions to party workers come a day after the United Forum of Bank Unions wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating that people claiming to be MNS activists have

'Marathi is Mumbai's language': Fadnavis amid row over RSS leader's remarks

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday asserted that Marathi is the language of Mumbai and Maharashtra and anyone who lives here should learn and speak it, after a Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA pointed to comments of a RSS leader. Fadnavis was speaking in the state assembly, in response to Shiv Sena (UBT) member Bhaskar Jadhav's demand that the government clarify its stand on senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi's comments that a person coming to Mumbai may not necessarily learn Marathi. "Mumbai does not have one language. It has many languages. Certain areas have their own language. The language of Ghatkopar is Gujarati. In Girgaum, you will have fewer Hindi speakers and more Marathi speakers. So it is easy that any individual coming to Mumbai may not necessarily learn Marathi," Joshi had said. As Jadhav sought the government's response on it in the assembly, Fadnavis said, "I haven't heard what Bhaiyyaji said, but the language of Mumbai an

Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Diwas 2025: Date, history, significance and more

For the Marathi community, Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Diwas is a significant day that honors the contributions of the renowned poet Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar. Each year on Feb 27, this day is celebrated

Extremely glad for classical status to several languages, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said he was "extremely glad" the Union Cabinet has conferred classical language status on Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit, and asserted his government cherishes India's rich history and culture. The government said classical languages serve as a custodian of Bharat's profound and ancient cultural heritage, embodying the essence of each community's historical and cultural milestone. In a post on X, the prime minister said, "Our Government cherishes and celebrates India's rich history and culture. We have also been unwavering in our commitment to popularising regional languages." "I am extremely glad the Cabinet has decided that Assamese, Bengali, Marathi, Pali and Prakrit will be conferred the status of Classical Languages," he added. Modi said each of them are beautiful languages, highlighting India's vibrant diversity. Marathi is India's pride, he said as he congratulated people on this "phenomenal language" being accorded the

Why is PM Modi ignoring demand for granting Marathi special status: Cong

The Congress on Thursday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "ignoring" the demand for granting Marathi classical language status and that for 10 years, he had done nothing on "the well-argued case" submitted by then CM Prithviraj Chavan in 2014 articulating the demand. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh posed four questions to the prime minister ahead of his Pune visit. However, Modi's visit to Pune was cancelled due to the heavy rain situation in the city. In his posers to Modi, Ramesh asked why is the Chakan industrial area facing a mass exodus of manufacturing units. "Pune's Chakan industrial area is currently witnessing a mass exodus of manufacturing units due to problems caused by poor road infrastructure. Despite ongoing roadwork, basic issues of traffic congestion and potholes continue to plague the area," Ramesh said in his post on X. This has not only caused frequent traffic jams but also a worrying increase in the number of ...